West Somerset Railway General Discussion

It's clear they are one of those who want something for nothing.

They don't really care about the railway and most likely never put money into it before and just freeloaded.

no great loss.

 

Over the years it has been a frequent occurrence, that whilst awaiting departure from Minehead,
footplate crews have requested that a platform hose be used to top up the tank. I particularly
remember this was the norm when the steam rail-motor No.93 visited, also with some pannier
tanks.

( Particularly No. 9466 . Only the first ten 84xx class members were given superheated
Standard No.10 boilers. The rest were given saturated ones: the rationale as I understand,
being that as the locos were to be used for shunting and short trip freight workings the
S/H would seldom "kick in" . No.9466, if hauling a heavy train and delayed en route has
always risked running short of water twixt MD and BL and vice versa)

The WSR ( up to now ) has never practised in line feed water treatment e.g. partial
demineralisation ( reverse osmosis ) , pH correction. ( NaOh dosing ) , Na3PO4
addition or oxygen removal. Local West Somerset raw waters are 'thin' ie low total
dissolved solids etc : indeed without any intermittent blow down WSR locos
will run for 28 days with the boiler water TDS not exceeding c.3500 ppm. With a suitable
boiler water treatment regime . ie adequate free alkalinity ( pH
held at 11.5 seems to work well, based on visual deposit examination, and an
absence of 'weeping' tubes ) maintained and oxygen removal chemicals. There was
an intent to try phosphate treatment, but this AFAIK has not been proceeded with.

Ultimately in line feed water treatment would be the goal. We had discussions some
four years past, but financial pressures for the time being must mitigate against the
requisite capital outlay.

In brief, adding raw water ex the platform hose will have been no different to topping
up via one of the the water towers at MD ( or the one at BL). The boiler water, after
the addition of chemicals at the start of the day, will represent a significant buffer wrt
any raw water added from a platform hose.

Minehead loco department has expended considerable effort in attaining a reliable
internal water treatment regime under the previous CME and deputy ( The WSR
has much to thank Joe Bowmer for )

Michael Rowe.

 

There is enough bile spilled over many pages on this thread I would have thought.

 

I'm not sure that can be quite right, because the Thomas story where he lifted water from a river was published in 1949, before the Talyllyn was preserved and I suspect before Awdry had visited it. I suppose it's possible he was inspired by a vision from the future but it's not *that* likely.

I think there's another later Railway Series story where the passengers carry water in buckets, but annoyingly I can't find it right now.

 

That's a strong thing to say, and how do you know he hasn't donated? What's being proposed might attract me if I were in the area and had nothing else to do, but if my nearest railways (NVR and GCR) were doing that, I wouldn't travel the 30 miles or so for - and I'm a GCR member.

Meanwhile, I sincerely hope you aren't representative of the volunteers and supporters of the WSR, because with a post like that gives a very poor impression of the railway you claim to support.

 

Claim? support? are you typing words with my keyboard?

Where have I professed that I'm either a volunteer or a supporter?

Anyway, the current regime is doing well enough creating a poor impression.

It doesn't need my money or time to help with that.

Too many cooks would spoil that broth.

Oh too late its already spoilt.

 

>>>>I do remember someone once running over a hose left across some rails that was watering something at the time.....

I can recall once helping a certain well-known guard feed the tank filler hose /under/ the rails at BL in order to fill up carriages in the Down platform road - I think an Up train was expected shortly

 

It's interesting how much water changes over a relatively small distance. I've seen what Bristol tap water - mostly collected in the Mendips - does to a kettle and I definitely wouldn't want to put it in a loco!

 

My recollection was: although he's not in role as GM, he is still a director - Companies House says he was appointed to the board in April

 

I remember that happening on one occasion - I was on a train from Minehead to BL at a gala (don't remember the year) hauled by 9466. Upon arrival at Crowcombe it was clear it was running out of water. The garden hose was pressed into action but it was obvious that filling the tanks up was going to take a very long time so a rescue loco (Nunney Castle, no less) was summoned from BL.

Edit: An earlier post suggests it was 2008. That may well be right - can't believe how time flies!

 

Back in NCB days a loco derailed at Cresswellford on the Foxfield. It wasn't re-railed until the next day and a team of colliery workers was sent to form a chain using buckets to refill the tank from the small stream near the site.

Jon

 

At the Gala that I witnessed in 2008 my photos show that the rescue engine was 4160.

The Up train with 9466 had set off towards BL, but barely got as far as far as the bridge before it came to a stand and then had to reverse back into the platform. The length of the garden hose, and the location of the tap, meant that the rear of the train was over the board crossing at the WN end, so all the passengers/visitors on the Down platform were stuck there! Frustratingly for them the station staff, despite several pleas, refused to supervise them using the staff crossing at the BL end.

 

Sadly it has been known for the Directors of failed company's to attend the Liquidators Sale to buy back their former assets

 

I think it's based on a story involving a certain A3 based at Leicester in the late 1940's early 1950's when it's injectors wouldn't pick up on the way to Marylebone. When the tender was examined there were several fish swimming around in there.
Andrew Roden explains it in his book.

 

Yes, after a bit of web searching, you are right! The scene in Titfield Thunderbolt however, did take inspiration from the Talyllyn, as did the general storyline of amateurs taking over a railway. Tom Rolt was disappointed that the film wasn't made on the TR.

 

That is sad. I have always found the WSR to be a friendly railway, and not spoilt by jobsworths.

 

Know your geology

Steve

 

Did the PLC itself not state a year or so ago that the railway needed £500k per year to make good the backlog of maintenance on the track? That would seem to imply very "much work".

 

Not the first time, not the last, that a locomotive has been kept going by unusual means.
A class 50 having its coolant filled from a back garden hose near Tisbury.
A class 33 getting 200 gallons of diesel from a farmers bowser near Sleaford.